Legislature Passes Farmworker Heat Injury Bill

The California Assembly voted to send Gov. Gavin Newsom a bill that would create the presumption that heat injuries and illnesses arose out of employment for agricultural workers whose employers violated certain workplace safety standards. The Assembly on Wednesday voted 60-16 to pass SB 1299, by Sen. Dave Cortese, D-Campbell. The bill would create the rebuttable presumption that a heat injury or illness is compensable when the worker is employed in the agricultural industry and the employer fails to comply with the state Division of Occupational Safety and Health's heat illness preventi...